Valley of Gold

A translation of Lórinand, an old Nandorin name of the wooded valley of the river Silverlode. After Galadriel and Celeborn settled there, the valley acquired new names by which it is better known to history: Lórien and Lothlórien.

That, at least, is the simple form of the name's history, though in fact its origins are rather more complex than this account might suggest. 'Valley of Gold' was a reference to the golden mallorn trees that grew in this land, but those mellyrn were not planted until after Galadriel's arrival, so historically the 'Valley of Gold' was not actually gold. In fact, the original Nandorin name was Lindórinand ('Vale of the Land of the Singers') and Lórinand the Valley of Gold only emerged as a later version of this historical name to reflect the golden trees for which it was famed, and also Galadriel's memory of the Golden Tree Laurelin in Valinor.

This rather elaborate construction is actually due to the order in which Tolkien devised certain ideas. He gave Lórien the old name of the 'Valley of Gold' before he had invented the idea of Galadriel's bringing the mallorn trees there, so in the old conception the golden trees were native to the land and the name 'Valley of Gold' therefore made perfect sense. He devised the later, more complex explanation to account for the newly emerged fact that the valley had not actually been gold in those earlier times.